Southern Miss, Arkansas to play in 2013

HATTIESBURG — Southern Mississippi athletic director Jeff Hammond says the school has agreed to play Arkansas in 2013 in Fayetteville.

The game is scheduled for Sept. 14, and will take the place of a cancelled game against Louisiana Tech. Hammond has said Southern Miss is facing a $1 million budget shortfall and the quickest way to make up the lost money would be to play “payout” games against big-name schools on the road.

Hammond didn’t reveal what the payout for the Arkansas game, but said it exceeds the $900,000 given to the Golden Eagles for its road game against South Carolina in 2010.

Hammond also said he was exploring an option to move the Southern Miss home football game against Nebraska in 2013 to the Superdome in New Orleans.